Craving a hearty, cheesy, and deeply satisfying lasagna that’s packed with savory mushrooms and spinach, and is surprisingly easy to make? This incredible, one-pan-wonder Spinach and Mushroom Vegetarian Lasagna is the delicious, wholesome, and comforting meal you’ve been searching for.
This isn’t just another vegetarian lasagna recipe; it’s a guide to creating a perfectly layered, flavorful, and never-watery casserole, thanks to a few brilliant, yet simple, techniques. We’ll show you how to use smart shortcuts like no-boil noodles and a healthy, high-protein cottage cheese filling to create a stunning lasagna that is perfect for a weeknight family dinner or for feeding a crowd.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate One-Pan Veggie Wonder
What makes this Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna so special is its clever, streamlined method. We start by roasting the mushrooms directly in the casserole dish, a genius step that develops their deep, umami flavor and removes excess moisture—the number one enemy of a perfect vegetarian lasagna! This recipe also uses high-protein cottage cheese for a light and creamy filling, and convenient no-boil noodles to make assembly an absolute breeze. It’s the ultimate easy, cheesy, and veggie-packed comfort food.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | 8 |
The Essential Ingredients for a Perfect Veggie Lasagna
This recipe uses a handful of wholesome ingredients and smart shortcuts to create a stunning and satisfying meal.
- The Vegetables (Mushrooms & Spinach): This classic, earthy duo is the heart of our filling.
- Mushrooms: We use a generous amount of sliced mushrooms. The secret is roasting them first to concentrate their savory, “meaty” flavor and to cook out their water content, which is the key to preventing a watery lasagna.
- Fresh Spinach: Two big cups of fresh spinach wilt down to add beautiful flecks of green color, a mild, earthy flavor, and a ton of nutrients to the creamy layers.
- The “Ricotta” Layer (Cottage Cheese): This is our brilliant healthy hack! We use small curd cottage cheese as a direct, high-protein, and lower-fat substitute for traditional ricotta. It provides a wonderful, creamy, and slightly tangy texture to the layers with no one being the wiser.
- No-Boil Lasagna Noodles: The ultimate time-saving shortcut! These specially designed noodles cook perfectly in the oven by absorbing liquid from the sauce, which means you can skip the entire messy, time-consuming step of boiling pasta.
- Vegetarian Parmesan Cheese: The final, flavorful touch.
- What is it?: Traditional Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano is made with animal rennet, which makes it not strictly vegetarian. Vegetarian Parmesan is a hard, aged cheese made with a microbial or vegetable-based rennet. It provides that same salty, nutty, and savory flavor and is a thoughtful choice for a vegetarian dish.
Step-by-Step to the Best Vegetarian Lasagna
Follow these simple, detailed steps to assemble and bake this delicious and easy casserole.
Step 1: Roast the Mushrooms (The No-Watery-Lasagna Secret!)
First, preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).
Place the 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms directly into your 9×13-inch casserole dish. Add the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Toss everything together right in the dish until the mushrooms are evenly coated.
Bake the mushrooms for about 10 minutes, until they have softened and released their liquid.
Carefully remove the dish from the oven and drain away any of the extra liquid that has accumulated in the bottom of the dish. Set the roasted mushrooms aside in a small bowl.
Step 2: Assemble the Lasagna Layers
Now we will build our lasagna right in the same, now-empty, casserole dish!
- Sauce on Bottom: Pour about half of your prepared pasta sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it out evenly.
- First Noodle Layer: Place 3 to 4 of the no-boil lasagna noodles on top of the sauce in a single layer, breaking them as needed to make them fit.
- First Filling Layer: Add half of the cottage cheese to the casserole dish, dropping it in spoonfuls over the noodles. Then, add a layer of half of the reserved, roasted mushrooms and half of the fresh spinach.
- First Cheese Layer: Top the vegetables with half of the shredded mozzarella and half of the grated vegetarian Parmesan.
- Second Noodle Layer: Arrange the remaining no-boil lasagna noodles on top of the cheese.
- Final Layers: Top the noodles with the remaining half of the pasta sauce. Then, add the remaining cottage cheese, mushrooms, and spinach. Finish by sprinkling the remaining half of the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses evenly over the very top.
- Optional Topping: For a unique, nutty crunch, you can sprinkle the top with the 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts.
Step 3: Bake to Bubbly, Golden Perfection
Cover the casserole dish tightly with aluminum foil.
Pro Tip: To prevent the cheese on top from sticking to the foil, you can lightly spray the underside of the foil with cooking spray before you cover the dish.
Bake the covered lasagna for 30 minutes. The foil traps the steam, which is what cooks the no-boil noodles perfectly.
After 30 minutes, carefully remove the foil. Return the casserole to the oven and bake, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. This allows the top layer of cheese to become beautifully melted, bubbly, and golden brown.
Let the finished lasagna rest on a wire rack for at least 10-15 minutes before you slice and serve it. This is a crucial step that allows the layers to set up, ensuring you get beautiful, clean slices that don’t fall apart.
The Best Easy & Healthy Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna
A hearty and flavorful vegetarian lasagna featuring layers of roasted mushrooms, fresh spinach, and a creamy cottage cheese filling. Sliced mushrooms are first roasted with garlic powder to deepen their flavor. The lasagna is then assembled in a casserole dish with layers of pasta sauce, no-boil lasagna noodles, the cottage cheese, roasted mushrooms, spinach, and a blend of mozzarella and vegetarian Parmesan cheeses. The casserole is baked until bubbly and golden brown.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes (includes cooling time)
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Baking, Roasting
- Cuisine: Italian-American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
- 8 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles (about 8–10 noodles)
- 1 1/2 cups small curd cottage cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated vegetarian parmesan cheese
- 2 Tbsp chopped walnuts (optional, for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- In a casserole dish, toss the sliced mushrooms with the olive oil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Bake the mushrooms for about 10 minutes. Remove them from the oven, set them aside, and drain any excess liquid from the casserole dish.
- Assemble the Lasagna: Pour about half of the pasta sauce into the bottom of the empty casserole dish.
- Place 3-4 no-boil lasagna noodles on top of the sauce, breaking them as needed to fit. Press the noodles down so they are covered by the sauce.
- Spread half of the cottage cheese over the noodles.
- Add a layer of half of the roasted mushrooms and half of the fresh spinach.
- Top with half of the mozzarella and half of the parmesan cheese.
- Repeat the layers: the remaining noodles, the rest of the pasta sauce, the rest of the cottage cheese, the remaining mushrooms and spinach, and the rest of the cheese.
- Sprinkle with chopped walnuts, if using.
- Bake: Cover the casserole dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the dish and bake for another 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Let the lasagna cool for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- This recipe uses no-boil lasagna noodles for convenience, eliminating the need to pre-cook the pasta.
- Pre-roasting the mushrooms is a key step that concentrates their flavor and prevents them from releasing too much water into the lasagna.
- Baking the lasagna covered first allows the noodles to cook through in the sauce, while baking it uncovered at the end creates a golden, bubbly cheese topping.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 450-550
- Sugar: 10-15 g
- Sodium: 1200-1500 mg
- Fat: 22-28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12-16 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35-45 g
- Fiber: 5-7 g
- Protein: 25-30 g
- Cholesterol: 60-80 mg
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Lasagna is the ultimate make-ahead and freezer-friendly meal!
- Make-Ahead (Unbaked): You can assemble the entire lasagna up to 2 days in advance. Cover the unbaked lasagna tightly with plastic wrap and foil and store it in the refrigerator. When you are ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and bake as directed (you may need to add 10-15 minutes to the initial covered baking time).
- Storing Leftovers: Store any leftover lasagna, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Lasagna: This lasagna freezes beautifully. You can freeze the entire casserole, either baked or unbaked. Wrap it very well in a double layer of plastic wrap and foil. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator overnight before baking (if unbaked) or reheating (if baked).
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Creative Recipe Variations
This healthy and delicious vegetarian lasagna is a wonderful base for your own creative touches.
- Make it a Creamier Filling: For a richer, more traditional ricotta-style filling, you can mix the 1 1/2 cups of cottage cheese in a bowl with one large egg and 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan cheese before you layer it into the lasagna. The egg will help the filling to set up even more firmly.
- Add More Roasted Vegetables: Feel free to add another layer of your favorite roasted vegetables. A layer of thinly sliced and roasted zucchini, eggplant, or red bell peppers would be a fantastic and delicious addition.
- Make it Vegan: For a completely vegan version, use your favorite high-quality vegan ricotta or cottage cheese substitute, vegan mozzarella and Parmesan, and ensure that your pasta sauce and no-boil noodles are certified vegan (some contain egg).
Enjoy Your Healthy Comfort Food Masterpiece!
You’ve just created a truly special meal that is a perfect harmony of classic comfort food flavor and wholesome, nourishing ingredients. This Spinach and Mushroom Vegetarian Lasagna is packed with vegetables and protein, and it is a delicious, satisfying, and guilt-free way to enjoy a beloved classic. It’s a guaranteed family-pleaser that is perfect for any night of the week.
We hope you love every last, cheesy, and delicious bite!
If you enjoyed making this recipe, please leave a comment below or share it with a friend who loves a good, healthy casserole!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: Why is my vegetarian lasagna often watery, and how does this recipe fix that?
Watery vegetarian lasagna is a very common problem, and it’s almost always caused by the high water content in vegetables like mushrooms and spinach. This recipe brilliantly solves that problem with a simple but crucial step: roasting the mushrooms first and then draining off all their liquid before you assemble the lasagna. This concentrates their flavor and removes the excess water that would otherwise make your casserole soupy.
Q2: What is “vegetarian Parmesan” and do I really need to use it?
Traditional Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is made using animal rennet, which is an enzyme from a calf’s stomach. This means it is not technically a vegetarian product. Vegetarian Parmesan is a hard, aged, parmesan-style cheese that is made using a microbial or vegetable-based rennet instead. If you are serving this to strict vegetarians, using a vegetarian Parmesan is a very important and considerate choice. You can find it in most well-stocked grocery stores.
Q3: Do I have to use cottage cheese, or can I use ricotta?
You can absolutely use an equal amount of part-skim or whole-milk ricotta cheese instead of the cottage cheese if you prefer a more traditional lasagna. Cottage cheese is used in this recipe as a fantastic “healthy hack,” as it is typically higher in protein and lower in fat than ricotta, and it provides a wonderful, creamy texture.
Q4: Can I use regular, boil-style lasagna noodles instead of the no-boil kind?
Yes, you can. If you are using regular lasagna noodles, simply cook them in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the package directions until they are al dente. Drain them well and then proceed with the layering as directed in the recipe.
Q5: Can I add a different kind of cheese to the topping?
Of course! A layer of sliced provolone cheese on top, under the mozzarella and Parmesan, would be a delicious and classic addition that would provide an even gooier, meltier cheese topping.